Big Island, Hawaii, Awaken to Well-Being Retreat, Nov 14 -21, 2016

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This is a rare opportunity to experience a yoga retreat on the Big Island of Hawaii with a highly experienced international teacher, a private chef extraordinaire and no more than 12 guests. Think: small-box, unique, respectful of your individuality and deeply transformative.

More than a feel-good retreat, you will learn skills for more ease in your daily life at home and beyond. Move well with gentle therapeutic yoga, breathe like never before, meditate, eat consciously with exquisite meals and cooking classes. Enjoy afternoons to explore beaches, local markets, sacred spiritual sites, take in a private session or just sway in a hammock. Awaken to your true nature. Awaken to joy and well-being.

A private, sustainable ranch will be your home-away-from-home. The owners have kindly opened their hearts and facilities including six hales (bungalows), a dining and cooking pavilion, a beautiful yoga room and acres of fruit orchards, gardens and tropical flowers.

The property is off-the grid and sustainable, with its own hydro electrical plant, solar power and organic gardens. A yoga studio - the Qi Deck - has hardwood floors and plenty of windows to open to the sounds of the flowing nearby creek. Two indoor/outdoor, round, connected pavilions create a welcoming atmosphere for a large dining table in one, and kitchen in the other.

This retreat is for you if you wish to:

Honor your body and mind and your heart's deepest calling

Awaken to the part of you that is whole, complete and peaceful

Be a better human being!

Eat well in a farm-to-fork environment with a fun-loving chef who will share tips and lessons

Learn to meditate and move like never before, with a seasoned, international teacher who empowers you to get the results you desire

Be in an intimate, safe and caring environment with as much solitude or community as you like

Retreat on a private property for a week dedicated to a small group experience, without others coming and going

Have the option of activities like hiking, swimming, communing with wildlife or doing nothing at all

Explore independantly in your free time or with friends you meet on retreat, with maps and suggestions provided by us.

Receive more than you are promised!

Take home skills for more ease and joy at home

This retreat is not for you if you wish to:

Focus on physical form more than function

Bust out an impressive yoga pose that might be on the cover of a yoga magazine!

Begin each morning with sunrise meditation and breathing awareness. After a delicious and hearty breakfast, support your opening to well-being with mindful movement flavoured by therapeutic yoga, alignment principals and qi kung in the embrace of citrus orchards and organic gardens. Pack your own lunch from a selection of nutritious ingredients provided for you and head out to explore beaches, hikes, sacred sites, markets or just "be" in a hammock.

Return in the late afternoon for a relaxing and insightful practice of iRest® yoga nidra (lying down meditation) before being treated by our chef to 'Farm to Fork' dining. Food choices throughout the retreat include local fish and chicken, organic vegetables, freshly picked fruit and delicious, hearty grains and legumes. Take in a cooking lesson or two on-site for no extra charge. Be active or still as you fully receive the abundant gifts of nature as we retreat on the Big Island.

Limited accommodation is available on site, with 6 rustic, cozy "hales" or rooms, including two simple "barn hales' (attached to the barn) - each with 2 double beds and shared bathroom - and 4 bungalow style hales - each with 2 double or single beds, a deck and shared bathrooms and outdoor hot water showers.

On the estate, is an Indonesian "spirit house" in which you can sit in contemplation. A fire pit, extensive citrus orchard and flower gardens surround the artifacts collected from Bali and other countries abroad. With its own hydro-electric system and solar power, this is a beautiful eco-estate.

Delicious and nutritious meals prepared by "Chef Samantha" will feature fresh, local and organic products as much as possible. Sam entertains and educates with humour and passion in the open air kitchen. The focus will be on local cuisine with options of local fish, like 'Mahi-mahi" or "Ono", and chicken. Citrus fruits are available in abundance in the orchard surrounding the dining hale. Yoga and meditation in Hawaii - delicious!

On the estate, is an Indonesian "spirit house" in which you can sit in contemplation. A fire pit, extensive citrus orchard and flower gardens surround the artifacts collected from Bali and other countries abroad. With its own hydro-electric system and solar power, this is a beautiful eco-estate.

Julie Seibt has been leading retreats in Thailand, Hawaii and Canada for 10 years. She welcomes each person exactly as there area; with no pre-requisites physically, emotionally or spiritually. Julie's credentials include Anahata Yoga Teacher Certification (Anne Douglas, 2006), IRI Certfied iRest Teacher® (www.irest.us (link is external)), Certified Yoga Therapist (2013, Functional Synergy) and teacher's training in Yin Yoga with Sarah Powers and Restorative Yoga with Andrea Peloso. Julie worked for several years at a private collaborative medical clinic with physicians, psychologists and other healing practitioners, bringing her skills in therapeutic movment and meditation to the team and the clients. She studies mindfulness under Steven Smith and Michele McDonald, teaching movement classes to support a meditation practice at their Vipassana Retreats in Thailand and Hawaii since 2010. As an Asian Bio-Energetic Therapist, Master Reiki Teacher, and Thai Massage Therapist, Julie brings a holistic, compassionate and mindful approach to well being.

Carolyn Mondress, lives on the property and is our ’retreat sage’, offering her love, wisdom, connection to Hawaiian spirituality and culture. A group breathing session and optional private sessions will be available. Carolyn’s gifts include , Holotropic Breathwork, yoga, qigong, continuum movement, mediation, art, deep psychology and Gestalt. Carolyn is an expert in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and a former teacher of the Institute of Self-Recognition specializing in healing the inner critic. Carolyn’s passion is to remove the obscurations that keep us from living in our truest nature and by doing so, assist us to return to the very essence of our lives. Indeed she does just that! She is even trained in Buteyko Breathing Method to assist those with apnea, asthma or other breathing disorders. A woman of palpable grace, compassion and eight decades of life experience, she is deep, deep, deep.

Samantha Smith – Retreat Chef and Culinary Arts TeacherSamantha’s culinary style is an amalgamation of her interest in culture, creativity, survival and love. For her, food is a way to connect; cooking is energizing and inspiring. Being a chef is a path of curiosity and experimentation and Samantha’s cooking and teaching style emanates these core values.

Retreat fees are $1600 USD (Canadian residents please inquire for pricing in $CAD) per-person for 7 nights based on twin share, including accommodations, 7 days with instruction and 3 meals per day*, all yoga and meditation sessions. Solo travelers will roomshare with their same gender.

*departure and arrival days include one meal, the six full days each include 3 meals

Single Supplement of $750 will apply for solo travelers who wish to secure their own private room.

Deposit: A non-refundable deposit of $500 USD is due to secure your space. Accommodation preferences will be considered in order of dates deposits are received.

Balance: The balance of payment is due Sept 7, 2016. Cancellation insurance for your protection is required.

Refunds: If you must cancel, the $500 USD deposit is non-refundable. The balance is refundable until October 1, 2016. Any cancellations after Oct 1 are 100% non refundable. Please purchase cancellation insurance.

Payment can be made via PayPal to julie@bodymindease.com, where you will have payment options including credit cards. Or contact Julie directly for direct deposit or cheque details.

Accommodations are in a ‘Hale’, the Hawaiian word for a simple dwelling. The private ranch-style estate is located in North Kohala on the Big Island of Hawaii and offers an imtimate setting for this small yoga retreat. 6 lovely hales sit among the citrus trees and gardens, with either twin beds, 2 double beds, or 1 double bed. Shared bath houses are situated near the hales, with Bali-style outdoor hot water showers, outdoor sinks and individual toilet rooms. Each hale is unique, all have a private deck. Hales will be assigned based on the following considerations: order of registration, and bedding to accommodate couples or singles. We will do our best to accommodate requests.

Maximum retreat participants: 12

Check-in between 2 -4 p.m on Saturday, November 7; check out 11 a.m on Friday, November 13th.

Special dietary requirements We will provide gluten-free choices with each meal. If you would benefit by bringing your own snacks, please do so. Please communicate dietary restrictions at least 3 weeks prior to the retreat.

Not included in costs:

Airfare and local transportation. We suggest you rent a car, or share one with others who are renting. Public transportation on the Big Island is extremely limited and expensive or very slow. Car rentals are reasonably priced and will give you the freedom to fully take in the beautiful island.

Some therapeutic yoga props will be available for sale to take home. Props will be provided for you to borrow at the the retreat, but please bring a yoga mat and a blanket.

The retreat venue is located in North Kohala on the island of Hawai'i, commonly known as The Big Island, at the end of the road amid lush, tropical greenery. A stunning black sand beach is a 5-minute drive, or 25 minute walk away. White sand beaches are also a short drive away. North Kohala's quaint towns of Hawi ("ha-vee") and Kapa'au ("Ka-pa-ow) offer conveniences like a pharmacy, post office, gas stations, a bank, ATMs, restaurant, shops and galleries as well as numerous alternative health care practitioners and conventional medical and dental clinics.

There are direct flights to Kona International Airport at Keahole from the mainland on WestJet, US Air and United Airline as well as others. (You do not have to go through Honolulu). The retreat venue is situated approximately one hour from the airport.

Space will be very limited, so fill out this form to express your interest as soon as possible. This focus of this retreat is restorative yoga, therapeutic yoga, meditation and a holistic approach to wellness in a small, nurturing community.

Your full name *

Your e-mail address *

What would you most like to gain/experience during your time on retreat? *

Cell Phone while Traveling *

Sex *

Female

Male

Age *

Nationality *

Next of Kin *

Next of Kin Contact Number *

If you had an intention for this retreat, what would it be? *

Please provide any physical, mental and/or emotional challenges that you would like to share with Julie: *

By registering for this retreat I understand *

No, I do not agree.

Yes, I understand and agree.

I understand that this retreat is being held in a remote and natural environment with simple and rustic facilities and I have considered this before attending. I undertake to take due care and responsibility for my own health and safety while at the retreat and I do not hold the teaching staff, retreat managers or facility staff responsible for injuries that may occur.

Anything else you would like to request or share?

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